"What is it you that want with me?" Melanie asked, as the now semi-familiar white man opened her door. "You keep me locked up, you don't answer my questions. I know you aren't planning on killing me immediately, you'd have done that by now. So what is it that you want?"

The man looked at her impassively, then waved. "Come on, Melanie Waldwyck. It is time for your outdoor exercise. If you persist in questioning me, you will not get any more exercise outside for another three days. I wouldn’t recommend it, the cabin fever can get intense after a while."

Melanie sighed and nodded. "Well, can you at least keep me company while I go outside? You’re right, having only my own thoughts can be difficult, and the other staff doesn't talk to me at all other than to ask where the hell I’m going."

The man thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I have no pressing duties until later this afternoon. The exercise area isn't much either, but it’s better than just your room and the other areas we escort you to."

The two walked down the hallway, Melanie wearing the unadorned but sturdy pajama-like pants she had been given along with her tennis shoes and a t-shirt, the man in black pants and a gray collared shirt. "What is your name, by the way? I mean, it would be helpful at least."

"You may call me John," the man said. They turned a corner, and he led her towards the end of it. "It is one of my Christian names."

"All right, John. So can you tell me what you want from me?" Melanie said. They reached the door marked exit, and John unlocked it after tapping a keycode into a small numerical panel, hiding his motions from Melanie.

The door opened into a fenced corridor, similar to what she had seen during her tours of prisons as a cop. Melanie walked down to an enclosed exercise yard, about twenty meters to a side, along with a pull-up bar with dip station, a picnic table, and a basketball hoop. "I see you guys got me luxury accommodations. What was this place, a mental hospital or a prison before you guys bought this place?"

John gave her a smattering of ironic applause. "You’re quite observant. It was a bit of both, actually. It was a mental hospital for the criminally insane. When this country's government slashed the budget for this sort of treatment, my organization bought it. Normally it’s an actual hospital, for the treatment of those who have been exposed to the cursed kind, mostly werewolves. With your capture, however, we have temporarily cleared the grounds of all other patients."

"And yet you keep me confined to a single cell most of the day. Why?" Melanie walked around the inner edge of the fence, staring out at the surrounding landscape. There wasn't much to see, but more importantly, the fence was very solid. She didn't see any broken fasteners or rusty spots she could take advantage of, even if she had tools or were left out here by herself.

John chuckled. "You’re a very resourceful woman, Melanie. If we gave you full run of even a wing of the facility, you would most likely attempt escape. Not wise for a woman who is six months pregnant, especially one with a child as valuable as yours."

"What do you mean?" she asked, turning away from the fence. Walking over to the paved over section that had the basketball court, she looked around. "You guys could have at least given me a basketball to use. What good is a basketball hoop with no basketball?"

"If you behave, we'll see what we can do about getting you a ball. Come." John led her over to the table, gesturing for her to sit down. He stood a few feet away, relaxed but still carefully out of lunging distance. "I suppose the Archbishop would be upset if I told you, but I don’t see the harm. The child you carry inside you is very special, Melanie. Keith Waldwyck is the strongest male of the werewolf kind in over a hundred years. His father was wise to have had children with the woman he did, as he brought in a very virile and very intelligent human bloodline that blended perfectly with the cursed Lockwood genes. With your own intelligence and athletic ability, we expect your child to be even stronger."

"So you want to destroy the strong before they even have a chance to become a threat," Melanie said. She pointedly ignored the insult toward Valeria Waldwyck, as if her husband had chosen her for his Mate based off of some anticipation of strong breeding rather than love, as Valeria had told her. "But then why am I still alive?"

John shook his head, chuckling. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "You must think that I’m a jailer or caretaker only, don't you?"

"Aren't you? I mean, you act like a jailer." Melanie rubbed her arms, chilled despite the sunshine she felt on her skin. She knew it had nothing to do with the ambient air temperature, and everything to do with the threat she perceived from this man and his band of psychopaths.

"I am far from just a jailer, Melanie. I'm also a psychologist and an OG-GYN. I will be quite famous in my Order's history books, I imagine, even if that is a bit of a sin of pride. You see, the best way to defeat the werewolves is to use their own kind against them. So your child, son or daughter, will become the Order's greatest weapon against werewolf kind. Combining our training with their physical skills, they'll be one of the best soldiers our kind has ever seen. Imagine, the speed, strength, senses of a prime Alpha, able to blend in amongst werewolf kind, but armed with our sense of purpose and skill? Oh, the war could finally be over by that point."

Melanie felt like she was about to throw up. "You want to commit genocide. You're a monster. How can men who are supposedly part of a Church that preaches love and forgiveness be this way? I mean, do you operate under the auspices of the Vatican?"

The man leaned his head back and pealed laughter into the sky until she felt anger building inside her again. "Oh, silly girl. Yes, our Order was started by the Holy Church, and until about the end of the Inquisition, was, in fact, a part of the Church. However, as times changed, and we realized that sometimes crossing religious lines was important for the pursuit of our cause, we officially left the Church. We still maintain the original mission, however, and many of our original structures, even if we do accept those of other faiths when needed. I myself feel that it is only through my faith that I can have the strength for this battle for humanity."

Melanie shook her head. "You can accept other religions, yet will not accept my Mate, and call him a monster. Again, I say that you are the monsters."

"No, Melanie, your Mate is the monster. However, there is still hope for you. After all, even the thief on the cross next to Our Lord was forgiven and now is in heaven next to Him. Perhaps, before your own death, you too can repent. But enough talk for now, I suggest you use your exercise time wisely. Just a warning, the tops of the fences are electrified, and I doubt in your present condition you would be able to vault that zone without killing yourself. Besides, while you don’t see them, there are armed guards patrolling the perimeter, although they are more concerned with external attack than escape. Still, they are effective men, very highly trained. In the meantime, I’ll give you some distance to think, and sit over there by the door to the facility. You have another forty-five minutes to enjoy the sunshine."